Family
by Incidental Vegan Cannibal
Summary: Like most teenage girls, Ellie wasn't nearly as clever or deep as she thought she was. David still had a lot of fun playing with her mind, though. Chapter 1 was written by West Haven, the rest by me. Psychological abuse, manipulation, teenage pregnancy, breathplay/choking.
1. Chapter 1

David stepped in front of Ellie, raising his gun. "Let me go first, all right?" he said.

"I don't think this is a good idea..." Ellie bit her lip, trying to peer inside the supposedly abandoned building. The aged roof was falling apart, and it was in the middle of nowhere. It looked like a death trap.

David turned, that irritatingly calm smile on his face. "But Ellie, don't you think there's bound to be some supplies in there? Opportunities like this don't come along every day."

She looked down at her worn shoes and twisted one further into the snow. "Okay, but we can't stay long. Just a quick in and out."

He smirked the way grown-ups did whenever they were laughing at some joke Ellie wasn't old enough to be let in on. "In and out it is," he said.

Ellie raised her rifle and followed him inside. Her eyes were scanning the first room when David darted toward some desks and started sifting through them, causing her to groan internally. He hadn't even waited for her to say it was clear, which, thankfully, it appeared to be. She tapped her foot on the cold floor as she watched him, trying to remain calm.

"Anything?" she asked.

He sighed and turned around, leaning against the desk. "Not yet. But let's keep going."

She groaned out loud. "At least let me go first."

"You're the boss." He gestured. "Go right ahead."

Ellie blinked at his words, but she adjusted her posture to make herself seem a little taller. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door slowly and peeked inside.

The room was full of overturned tables and couches. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she heard hoarse breathing from within. Instinctively, she pushed David behind her and stepped inside the room.

An infected woman was huddling in the corner, her breathless gasps causing her bony shoulders to shake. Ellie felt a pang of sympathy, but she knew the woman was far too gone now. She silently put away her gun and pulled out her switchblade instead.

It seemed to take forever to sneak across the room, but she finally ended up crouched behind the woman. After a moment of hesitation, she remembered that David was watching, so she narrowed her eyes and plunged her blade into the back of the woman's neck. She quickly shoved down, sending the infected's head slamming into the wall. For good measure, Ellie rammed the knife back into the rotten flesh of the face once it hit the floor.

The body went still, and Ellie tried to catch her breath. She yanked her knife out of the infected's skull, ignoring the blood seeping out and staining her hands. The thing-the woman- was wearing a thin necklace, the only remnant of the person she'd been before becoming a monster. Ellie's breath caught in her throat, and she nearly choked on the strong smell of rank blood around her.

"Well, I'm impressed," David said. "I'm glad I'm in such capable hands."

His voice pulled Ellie out of her brooding. She turned around as David picked his way toward her. "Oh, uh, thanks," she breathed, her heart still hammering in her chest.

"No, really." He stared into her eyes, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad I have you, Ellie."

Pride bubbled inside of Ellie, squashing any residual bad feelings, but she shook her head and gestured toward the door. "Well, let's keep going, I guess." She hoped she didn't sound nervous, but if she did, David didn't call her out on it.

With a shaking hand, she opened the door, wincing as it creaked. She was peering into the dim corners of the new room when she felt David move past her.

"Hey, wait!"

A loud growl suddenly echoed around them. Two infected lunged out of the shadows toward David, giving Ellie only a moment to aim and fire twice. The bullets ripped through the neck of an infected woman, who stumbled and hit the ground.

David raised his firearm and shot as Ellie reloaded her rifle, but he only grazed it before it tackled him to the ground. He let out a strangled yelp just as Ellie aimed at the infected man's head. She pulled the trigger, knocking the runner away from her. It collapsed on top of David, who lay unmoving. Ellie gasped and ran to him, pushing the dead body off him.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck." Ellie muttered.

There was so much blood was on him. His clothes were dark and sopping with it. For a minute, he was Joel, his hot blood bubbling past her fingers and melting the snow underneath him. She shook him, but he lay slack under her. Ellie sucked in a deep breath and smacked him on the face.

"Sorry!" she said, raising her hand to slap him again.

David's eyes flew open, and he took a deep breath followed by a few shallow coughs.

"Oh, thank fuck!" Ellie collapsed on the floor next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like I've been put through the ringer, that's for sure." He lightly rubbed the side of his cheek, where she'd struck him. "Did you slap me?"

Her face got hot, despite the chill. "Yeah, sorry. That was me. You weren't waking up, and I didn't know what to do..."

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. A pretty girl like you can slap me any time you want."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ellie said, fiddling with her hands. "David.. I'm really sorry I let you down."

"Hey, hey." David covered her hands with his. "You didn't let me down at all. I rushed in here like a fool, and you had my back. I was lucky you were with me."

She nodded, trying to keep from breaking down in front of him. They slowly stood up, helping each other.

"So much for a quick in and out," Ellie said.

David chuckled again. "What do you say we pull out before we get ourselves in trouble?" he asked, a slight teasing tone in his voice. "You can lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Once he wasn't distracted by infected, it only took David around two hours to crack Ellie's code. Like most teenage girls, she wasn't nearly as clever or deep as she thought she was. David still had a lot of fun playing with her mind, though.

"Ellie, have you heard the good news about our lord, Jesus Christ?" he asked her that night, as she was unlacing her shoes for bed.

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to strip down to the shorts and tank top she wore as undergarments.

"Okay, I'm gay, and you're all religious and shit, so I'm gonna get comfortable," she announced.

David pulled his shirt over his head. "Whatever makes you happy." He was about to lie down next to her when something caught his eye. "Hey, let me have a look at your arm."

"Oh, shit!" Ellie clapped her hand over her discolored forearm. "Don't freak out. I can explain."

"Explain, then." He grabbed his machete and rested it on his lap, his hand tensed around it.

"I got bit almost six months ago," she said, her words spilling out too fast. "I've breathed in a fuckton of spores since then, and I'm still me. That's why I'm out here, in Colorado. We were trying to find the Fireflies. I swear I'm not really infected!"

"Let me see it."

She gave him her arm. He examined it closely, tracing the scar tissue and prodding the scaly growth over the top of it.

"You telling me the truth?" he asked.

"It's from July, I promise!"

He looked into her innocent, pleading eyes. He wouldn't have been able to resist those, even if she hadn't already been exactly his type.

"All right," he said. "I believe you. Besides, I saw you in action earlier. No one who's infected fights that hard to stay alive."

She sighed in relief and gave him a quick little hug. "Geez, I was scared you were gonna gut me. Good night."

He wanted to tear the rest of her clothes off and take her right there, bite mark be damned, but he didn't want to spook her. He settled for holding her against his bare chest.

"Are you awake?" she whispered a few moments later.

"Yes. Are you?"

She giggled. "Yeah, I can't sleep. Are you as sore as I am?"

He assumed he was, if not sorer. Rather than gripe about it, though, he decided to seize this beautiful opportunity.

"Lie on your stomach," he ordered her.

"What are you doing?"

"Repaying my debt." He climbed onto her hips and pushed her shirt up. "In part, anyway." He kneaded his fingers into her smooth back.

"Mmm," she sighed.

"Does that feel good?"

"It feels fucking amazing. No one has ever given me a real back rub before."

"Well, a real back rub would involve some candles and massage oil." David pressed his fingers around her spine.

"So? We have candles and oil."

"I thought it might make you uncomfortable."

"Nah, it's okay," Ellie said. "I'm gay, remember?"

"I remember. You lie there, and I'll get the oil."

When he came back, Ellie's face was staring in the other direction. He paused to admire the lean walking-muscles sculpted into her petite white legs and the twin dimples just above the waistband of those tiny blue shorts.

"You sure this won't be too weird for you?" he asked, settling onto the bed.

Ellie shrugged. "We're friends, right? If people can fuck and stay friends, we can probably handle a massage without it being weird."

"Okay, then," David said, climbing out of bed. "Take your shirt off."

The cooking oil wasn't the sexiest thing to rub onto Ellie's back, but that didn't stop her from stretching out and groaning loudly-nor did it stop David from getting uncomfortably hard against the back of her leg.

"I think you're liking this more than I am," she teased, her voice muffled by the pillow under her face.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "I know boners just happens randomly sometimes."

"It's actually all that noise you're making. It's been a long time since I've touched a woman like this."

"'Woman,' huh? I've never been called a woman before."

"Well, what would you call yourself?"

"I dunno." Ellie shrugged against his fingers. "A woman, I guess. Most people call me a kid, though. Or a little girl."

David rubbed her back. "That's because you still are a little girl, in a lot of ways."

"So does that mean you're going to the special hell for convincing me to go topless?"

He stopped massaging her. "I can stop, if you're having second thoughts."

"No! Dude, seriously, I was just kidding. Keep rubbing my back!"

He resumed kneading her skin, dipping his fingers around her sides. "You let me know if I go too far," he said. "I've only ever done this as foreplay. Sorry, foreplay is-"

"I know what foreplay is." Ellie turned around to glare at him. "I know pretty much everything about sex. You don't have to worry about me."

"I just don't want to make you nervous. Most girls, you rub their neck out of the kindness of your heart, and they think you want to do something naughty with them. Especially the inexperienced ones."

"Look, you can't freak me out," Ellie said. "At least, not when it comes to sex."

"Want to bet?" He slid his fingers underneath her, squeezing her tiny breasts. "You want me to stop? Just elbow me if you get too scared."

"Haha, nice try." Ellie held her middle finger up behind her back. "You're not gonna freak me out. I'm gay, not a prude."

David lay down on top of her, kissing her neck and nibbling at her ear. "You sure?"

She shivered. Knowing he might not ever have this chance again, David wiggled his hand down the front of her shorts. He navigated south from the sparse hair and then north of the warmth that clung to his fingers, settling in the spot that made her whisper, "Oh, fuck..."

He was almost certain he could have finished her off that way, but it was better to leave her panting and desperate until she did what he wanted.

"Why did you stop?" she demanded.

"I want to see you," he said. "All of you."

She squirmed out of her shorts and rolled onto her back without protest.

"You're beautiful," he said.

"Um, thanks," she said. "So, would you mind...?"

"You deserve some real pleasure," David said. "Especially after saving my life today. Will you please let me make you feel good? You can close your eyes and pretend like I'm a girl, if you want."

"Okay." Ellie was flushed pink. "Sure. Just... put it inside me. But you have to promise to pull out in time!"

"I always do."

She had to keep her eyes closed the whole time, her lips trembling like she was afraid she'd open her eyes and find a clicker underneath her. He didn't mind, though. As much as he loved gazing into her eyes, it was also pretty fun to watch the expressions twitching across her face as he rubbed her little button with his thumb.

"Lord, you're beautiful," he sighed. "This is the most amazing sight I've ever seen."

"Shush." She covered his mouth with her hand. "No talking."

After a few more moments of pure bliss, she shoved his hand out of the way and rubbed herself frantically. He waited until her eyes rolled back in her head, and then he knew it was safe to finish. He pulled her hips against his while she convulsed, and for one magical minute, their spasms were in perfect sync. Ellie collapsed, panting, onto his chest, and David stroked her hair.

"Oh, Ellie," he said into her warm, damp skin. "That was incredible."

"Oh, shit!" Ellie scrambled off of him. "You were supposed to pull out!"

"Sorry," he said, trying not to smirk.

"Motherfucker!" She beat on his chest with her little fists. "You fucking asshole!"

"Ellie," he said, grabbing her wrists. "Ellie, it's fine."

"Shit, shit, shit!" She grabbed a sock from the floor and wiped herself like he'd spilled scalding coffee inside her. "I'm so fucking stupid! Shit! What if I get knocked up?"

"You won't," David said, watching her in amusement.

"Yeah? And what makes you so sure, dickhead?"

"I had a little surgery before the outbreak." He took the sock from her and tossed it back onto the floor. "I can't have children with anyone."

She slowed down. "Really?"

"I promise," he lied. "There's less than a one percent chance I could have a child with you."

"Oh." She relaxed on the bed. "That would have been nice to know before we fucked, asshole."

"Sorry." He pulled her close, pressing her back against his chest. "It slipped my mind. Twenty years is a long time."

"Fuck, my heart is beating so fast," she said. "I thought for a minute I might be in trouble."

"I didn't mean to scare you." He kissed her ear. "I think I can make up for it."

He perched his old laptop on the nightstand on Ellie's side and then rigged it to the car battery he'd charged earlier in the day. Aside from the screen flickering occasionally, it wasn't a bad set up.

"Oh, cool," Ellie said, all traces of worry disappearing from her face. "It still works!"

"It sure does," he said. "You feel like watching a movie?"

"Yes! How?"

"Put your finger on that little square. Yeah, like that. That's your mouse."

"Mouse?"

"Uh, it's like your pointer. Great, now click on the folder icon... now 'Videos.' Good, now- oh, no, not that folder."

"Bad Girl Academy Five, Barely Legal Blowjobs..." Ellie snorted. "Jesus, you have a lot of porn for a religious dude. Where are the regular movies?"

"Click that folder with the up arrow. There you go. Now click 'Movies' and pick one."

Ellie scrolled through the files, her lips moving silently as she read each title. "Which one is best?"

"Depends on what you want to watch."

"Something happy. Oh! 101 Dalmations. That sounds cute."

"Are you sure you don't want to watch something a little more grownup?"

"No thanks. I've had about all the grownup shit that I can handle for the day." Ellie clicked the file. "Besides, I love doggies. How do I make it play?"

She fell asleep twenty minutes into the movie. David watched the screen paint colors on her sleeping face until the credits rolled.


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie blossomed with the flowers that spring. David noticed it before she did, snuggled up to her while she napped one afternoon.

"You're finally filling out your T-shirt," he said, pushing said T-shirt up to her neck.

Ellie grumbled and pushed his hands away. "I'm sleeping."

"Not anymore." David squeezed her breasts until she yelped and elbowed him in the nose.

"Goddammit!" She kicked at his knee. "First of all, I was sleeping. Second of all, OW! What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you want me to squeeze your balls like that?"

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"Oh my god." Ellie sat up. "Of course you do, pervert. How about this: I'll squeeze your balls especially hard next time if you _don't_ maul the hell out of my boobs."

"I was just trying to show you how much they've grown."

"Huh?"

He took her hands and put them on her breasts.

"Oh, holy shit, I finally have boobs!" She jumped out of bed and admired her breasts in the cracked mirror on the closet door. "Finally!"

"I told you," David said.

"You be quiet." Ellie pulled her shirt down. "I'm still mad at you for waking me up. I was having a fucking amazing dream about eating bacon with dogs in a really cool arcade, and you ruined it."

"Maybe you should punish me," David said.

"Yeah, I might." Ellie grabbed the whip from the bed post and jumped onto the bed, towering over him. "Roll over."

He rolled onto his stomach. Ellie hit his back with the leather, barely warming his skin.

"You hit like a girl, Ellie," David goaded her. "You can't even catch enough air to whip me properly."

Ellie grunted, and David's comments were rewarded with a satisfying crack and a streak of fire across his back. He cried out, instantly getting hard against the mattress.

"Yes, that's it," he said. "Good job."

"Oh, shit!" Ellie laughed in disbelief. "I actually broke the skin! Should I stop?"

"Sure," David said. "I understand if you're too chicken to keep going."

"Haha, fuck you." Ellie made another noise of exertion and lashed David's back again. "You're not getting out of this that easily. You have to beg for mercy AND say you're sorry for waking me up like that."

"_Je ne regrette rien_!" David said.

"Sorry, I don't speak Spanish." Ellie whipped him again. "If you're begging for mercy, you have to say it in English, and-just because you squeezed my boobs so hard-you also have to say you're a dooty-head."

David chortled into the sheet. "You wish."

"Fuck you." Ellie whipped him again. "I bet I can make you say it."

"I bet your arms get tired before my back does."

"Hmph!"

She whipped him for five or six blissful minutes and then collapsed panting next to him.

"Okay, your punishment is finished," she panted. "I'm too tired for this."

"Oh, come on, Ellie." He rolled over and tugged at her shorts. "You're not going to do it properly? I was hoping you'd sit on my face again. Maybe even tease me with that feather duster..."

"I was thinking about it, but I'm not in the mood." She put her hands behind her head.

"Don't tell me the food poisoning is coming back."

Ellie shuddered. "No, thank fuck. I think I'm finally over that. I will never eat undercooked deer ever again. Two months is too long to barf over one stupid deer steak."

If Ellie had figured out she was pregnant, she was sure doing a good job of playing dumb. She was still insisting that her jeans were only so tight because her hips were finally growing into an adult size. David took her hand and kissed it.

"What's the matter, then?" he asked.

Ellie rested her head on his chest. "Why does everyone in this town hate me so much?"

"Oh, they don't hate you," David said. "They're just shy about newcomers."

"I've been here since November. It's now the middle of May. I've been here for six fucking months, David!"

"Well..." David pretended to hesitate. "Never mind, it's not worth repeating."

"What? What do they say about me?"

"I thought you didn't care what they say about you!"

"I don't! But... what do they say about me?"

David sighed. "This is just a rumor, now, but James and I overheard some people talking about you the other day. It was just pure jealousy, I'm sure, but-"

"What did they say about me?!"

"Apparently, they said that you were a whore. They thought you were only sleeping with me because I'm the leader."

"Wow, that's shitty," Ellie said, her eyes shiny. "Those guys are assholes! Lucky I don't give a fuck what anyone says about me, huh?"

"Exactly." He kissed the top of her head. "Take off your pants, and I'll make you forget all about them."

"No thanks," Ellie said.

"Why? Are you on your period?"

"No, I'm just not in the mood." Ellie frowned. "I haven't even had my period for, like-"

Her body went stiff. David smirked into her hair, still rubbing her arm. He swore he could hear the realizations clicking into place inside her slow little head.

"Fuuuck," she whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Uhh... nothing." She rolled away. "Y'know, I do actually feel pretty sick. Will you go get the nurse?"

It took more than an hour for the nurse to come, once David tracked her down. When she did, she listened to Ellie rattle off her symptoms for about thirty seconds before prodding her fingers into Ellie's lower stomach.

"When was your last period?"

"I don't know," Ellie confessed. "January, maybe? But I haven't had it long enough to know when it's supposed to come."

There was silence as the nurse listened to Ellie's stomach with her stethoscope.

"How long have you been having sex?"

"Since November, I guess. But there's no way-"

"You're pregnant," the nurse cut her off. "Get as much food and rest as you can. I'll be by to check on you once a month or so."

"No, wait!" Ellie grabbed her arm. "I can't be pregnant! Are you sure?"

"Positive. I can hear the heartbeat, so you're at least four months in, maybe five. You'll probably feel it moving any day now."

"No, no, no..." Ellie covered her head with her hands. "Please, I really, really don't want to be pregnant! Isn't there some medicine you can give me that will just... make me not pregnant anymore?"

The nurse draped her stethoscope over her shoulders. "Hon, you're way past that point. There's not much I can do this far in. The most sophisticated medical equipment I have is a stethoscope and a pair of scissors. I'm sorry."

"Goddammit!" Ellie pressed her fingers into her eyelids. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"I understand, but you'll have to come to terms with it. I'll see you in a few weeks. Now, if there's nothing else wrong with you, I have gunshot wounds to check on."

The nurse brushed past David, closing the front door on her way out.

Ellie looked up at David with an uneasy smile. "So," she said. "This is pretty weird, right?"

"Explain yourself," David ordered.

"It's a miracle?" Ellie offered.

He gave her his most withering look. "I should have listened to the others."

Ellie's forehead wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

"They were right about you being a whore."

She recoiled like he'd hit her. "Hey! You don't get to call me a whore. If I'm a whore, what does that make you?"

"An idiot," David said. "I must've looked like such a fool, defending you to people you'd probably already slept with. How many men was it, Ellie?"

"None!" The desperation in her voice almost made his expression crack into a grin. "Jesus Christ, David, I've never fucked anyone else in my entire life! You must have lied about your stupid surgery!"

"Lord, I really am an easy target." He shook his head and turned his back on her. "I gave my food, my bed, my heart to the town whore. You can sleep in someone else's bed tonight. I'm sure there are dozens of men who'll take you back in."

"Fuck you! You can't treat me like this!" Her voice cracked, and she shoved him, barely knocking him an inch. "You were the one who knocked me up, so stop being an asshole and apologize for calling me a whore!"

David stormed into his bedroom and didn't say another word to her the rest of the afternoon. An hour after their usual dinner time, Ellie climbed onto the bed with him.

"David?"

He closed his eyes. "Leave me be, Ellie."

"No! I wanna talk about it." She scooted onto his lap. "Think about it, David. I never leave the house unless I'm with you, right? How could I have had time to fuck anyone else? Besides, if I was gonna fuck anyone, it would be a girl." She wrapped her fingers around his, tugging his hand onto her lower stomach. "That's your fucking kid, asshole. Less than one percent chance is still a chance! I don't have anyone else to talk to, and I'm so fucking scared that I feel like I can't breathe. David, you've gotta believe me, please-"

He meant to push her just enough to topple her onto the mattress, but she didn't brace herself for the fall at all. He held his breath as she tumbled off the bed with a terrifying thump. He fought the urge to rush to her side and check on her; that would ruin the game.

"Motherfucker!" Her voice broke. "David... why...?"

Satisfied that she wasn't seriously hurt, David walked out and slammed the door. He grabbed a book and his flashlight and climbed up to the attic, pulling the stairs up behind him. He laid down on the sofa, propping his feet up on the end.

"David?"

He heard her check every room in the house, stopping in the living room. There was silence for a long time, and then he heard her sobbing. He laid his open book on his chest, savoring the sound of her anguish.

A few minutes after the crying stopped, David crept down into the house to check on her. Ellie was asleep on her side, her arm crooked under her cheek. Her legs were tucked close to her chest. A streak of crusty blood covered the corner of her lip, and her face was still blotchy from her crying.

David wet a cloth and cleaned her face, being gentle on her cut. She stirred and half-opened her eyes.

"Jesus, fuck," she gasped, clutching her chest. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." He dipped his cloth into the bowl of water.

"Where the fuck did you go?"

"I just needed to cool down," he said. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to."

"I know," she said. "You would never hurt me on purpose. I forgive you."

"Let me kiss it and make it better."

"Okay."

He kissed the side of her mouth, using his tongue to clean the last of the blood away. When she didn't push him away, he kissed her straight on the mouth. Her chapped lips grated awkwardly against his. She didn't seem to know what she was doing, but she was definitely trying to return his kiss. He tested his luck and caressed her tongue with his, and her response was... well, not enthusiastic, but receptive. It was something, at least.

When he broke away for oxygen, Ellie pursed her lips and gazed up at him with those big, deep eyes.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.

"No." He warmed her cheek with his palm. "No, I reckon you're either telling me the truth, or you're lying because you're afraid to lose me. Either way, I'm a very lucky man."

"For the record, I am telling you the truth," Ellie said. "I don't know why your surgery didn't work, but you're gonna regret being a jerk to me when you see how much this baby looks like you."

"Doubtful," David said.

"What? Why?!"

"Because I already regret being a jerk to you." He kissed all over her face. "You're right. There is a chance I could be the father. It's not a big chance, but twenty years is a long time. Forgive me, Ellie. It was awful of me to say those things."

"It was awful of you," Ellie said. "But I forgive you. You're the only one who gives a fuck about me."

"Let me make it up to you." He kissed her neck, pushing up her shirt. "I owe you."

"Damn right, you owe me," she said, pushing his hands away. "You owe me for, like, a year, at least. And you can start by rubbing my feet while I figure out what I want you to make me for dinner. I'm so hungry."

He sat on the far end of the couch, and she stretched out, sticking her feet onto his lap.

"I just want you to know that I'll stick with you," he said, pulling her shoes off. "Whatever happens, I'll be there to take care of you and the baby."

Ellie scoffed. "I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"Not yet," he said. "But what happens in a few months when you can't even sit up without help? How will you feed yourself when you can't tie your shoelaces? How will you get away if dozens of infected swarm you when you're too pregnant to run?"

The delicious little whimper that stuck in Ellie's throat told him she hadn't thought about that. He peeled off her socks and massaged her toes.

"Don't worry, Ellie." He lifted her foot and kissed her cute, soft sole. "You're my responsibility now. I promise to take care of you, even if I have to carry you to safety myself. Just don't go running off on me."

"Where the fuck would I run off to?" Ellie asked. "I don't have any friends or family. The closest thing I have to friends are some acquaintances a few hundred miles away, and they'd probably judge the hell out of me if I showed up pregnant."

"I'll be your family," David said. "Would that make you happy?"

Ellie shrugged. "Yeah, probably." Her expression changed, and she grabbed at her stomach. "Whoa! Holy shit, I think I feel the baby moving!"

David pressed his hand on the tiny little bulge under her shirt. "I don't feel it."

"It was just, like, this fluttery feeling. It's gone now. But holy shit! There really is a little dude camped out in there. Freaky."

She looked so adorable, staring down in wonder at her stomach. David took her hands in his.

"Ellie, I know I didn't react well at first, but I really am excited for this," he said. "You don't need to be scared. Everything's gonna be all right. Do you believe me?"

She nodded, and then she scrambled up to hug him. He held her tightly, rubbing her back and hoping for a chance to feel the baby moving between them.


	4. Chapter 4

David shouldn't have worried about Ellie running away in her condition. As soon as the baby started to show, Ellie was too embarrassed to open the front door during the day time, lest the neighbors see her. By July, her stomach had outgrown every article of clothing she owned. She lounged around the house in a sports bra and old pair of shorts for lack of anything else to wear.

Just to be safe, David convinced her that a late-August stroll would change her mind about the neighbors hating her. He'd expected to have to bribe the neighbors to assist in his scheme, but as it turned out, teenage boys were as excited to have permission to harass a pretty girl for sex as younger children were to have permission to throw pebbles and yell bad words.

"This was a bad idea," David said, sheltering Ellie from the onslaught of gravel with his body. "I'm sure they don't know what they're doing, Ellie. They're probably just repeating what their parents have said."

"Whatever, I don't care." Ellie set her jaw. "I know the truth, and that's all that matters." Her nose twitched, and she burst into tears. "Man, fuck everyone in this town!" She waved her middle finger at the youngsters. "Do you hear me? Fuck you, you little brats! Fuck you and your fucking asshole parents!"

"I don't think that's helping the situation," David said, but that made her cry more instead of laugh. "Hey, now. It's not that big a deal. Let's get out of this part of town and enjoy this beautiful weather, hm?"

"Just take me home." She wiped her nose on the shoulder of the oversized shirt David had loaned her. "I'm not leaving the house ever again."

"Now, Ellie-"

"Please, David." She winced as a pebble hit her on the temple. "It was nice of you to try to make me feel better, but I feel shittier than ever right now. Take me home."

Once they were safely locked in David's home, he rubbed her feet and legs for an hour. He told her every joke he knew, and a few he'd made up on the spot, until she finally laughed through her tears.

"There's that pretty smile," he said. "Listen, Ellie, I'm truly sorry those kids behaved like that. I hate that they made you feel so bad."

"It's not your fault," Ellie said. "It's not like you told them to call me names or grab my boobs or throw rocks at me. Thanks for being so nice about it."

"Of course," he said, looking her straight in the eye. "We're family now, you and me. We look out for each other." He ran his hand up the inside of her thigh. "I love you, Ellie."

"Thanks."

He knew from the way she stiffened at his touch that she wasn't interested in sex, but he persisted anyway. She gave in more quickly than he'd expected. He fluffed up the pillows for her, heading off her complaints about not being able to breathe on her back. That thought made his heart pound faster. He rested his hand on her throat, and when she only swallowed and gave him a nervous glance, he squeezed.

She tolerated it for a few minutes, but that was no fun. David squeezed a little harder, and she made that satisfying choking noise. Her fingers dug at his.

"Gentle!" she rasped. "Jesus!"

He squeezed harder in response.

"Can't... breathe..."

"I'm almost there," he said. "I know what I'm doing."

He ignored her misery, even after her sniffling turned to bawling. If anything, her tears made it that much easier for him to get off. He finally released her neck and cuddled her, sighing his content. She pressed her palms over her eyes, snot dripping from her nose.

"What's the matter, Ellie?" David pulled her hands away from her face. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head.

"What's the matter, then?"

"You're the only person in the entire world who gives a shit whether I live or die." She bit her lip. "And that's probably only because you feel bad for knocking me up!"

"That's not true," David said. "I loved you from the moment I met you."

"Bullshit." She rubbed at her nose.

"It's true." He kissed her forehead, and she didn't wipe it away. "I love you, and I love this baby, and I want us to be a family forever. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Just to be safe, David hid her shoes and coat under a loose floorboard in the attic while she was sleeping.


	5. Chapter 5

The holding cage in the butcher's shop wasn't the ideal place to bring a child into the world, but it was safe. For hours, Ellie's screams had been echoed by the infected outside the shop, but now both were silent, replaced by the newborn's squalling. Outside, the alarm bells that were still ringing through the town were dampened by the snow.

"We can pretend they're ringing for us, eh?" David said, toweling off the screaming, bloody baby. "It's a nice reminder that good things can happen even on the darkest days. Don't you think so, Ellie?"

Ellie stared through the ceiling. She was shaking, but David wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion or trauma. Probably both.

"Ellie." He shook her. "Ellie? Ellie, please talk to me."

"You put your fucking hands inside me!" She began to cry, her entire body shaking. "Like I was a goddamn horse!"

"Shh, Ellie, I did what I had to do," he said. "You're so tiny that the baby was stuck inside you. Did you want to me to stand there and watch both of you die?"

She covered her face with her bloody hands, crying harder. "That was... the worst thing... I've ever been through! I didn't know... I didn't expect... just.. fucking... goddamn... fuckshit!"

"I'm sorry." He rubbed her shoulder until she smacked his hand away. "Ellie, the other women all share their experiences and tell the new mothers what to expect. I'm sorry they didn't do that for you. But please don't take it out on our baby."

She covered her face with her arms, apparently not hearing a word he said. "Oh god," she wept quietly. "Oh god, seriously... it was so bad... it was so fucking bad..."

"I know." He sat down next to her, feeling the fatigue in his arms as he draped one over her shoulders. "That was probably the scariest day in either of our lives. But it's over now. It's all over." He held the squirming bundle of towels in front of her face. "Ellie, this is our son. Look how sweet he is. Please let him nurse, Ellie."

"It's so fucking ugly," Ellie wept. "I hate it. Make it stop."

"Make what stop? The crying?"

She nodded.

"He's crying because he's hungry, Ellie. He'll die if you don't nurse him soon." David tried to pull Ellie's arms away. "Just move your arms, all right? I'll hold him there."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't. I don't want to! Leave me the fuck alone!"

"Okay, okay. Maybe in a little bit." David wrapped his son more tightly and held him close. "What should we name him?"

"I don't care," she said. "Whatever you want. You can have him."

"Now, don't be like that," David said. "I know you love him as much as I do."

She shook her head. "I don't. I never wanted this. And if I'd known how bad it would be-" She began crying too hard to speak.

David sighed and held the baby with both hands, trying to pacify him. Not knowing what else to do, he began to sing.

"As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good old way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way..."

The baby quieted down, sucking on his thumb. By the time David stopped singing, Ellie had settled down too. She was glaring at the baby as if she were resentful. No, not quite resentful- she was envious.

"Do you want me to be holding you instead of the baby?" he asked.

She sniffed and nodded.

"Come here." David tossed one of the less bloody towels across his lap and draped Ellie's oversized coat on her shoulders. "If you'll hold the baby, I'll hold you instead."

She climbed onto his lap, taking the baby like it was a soiled rag. "It's so ugly," she said again. "I think something is wrong with it."

"It'll look cuter when you're not so upset," David said. "I think he's the sweetest little baby I've ever laid eyes on."

Ellie shuddered. "I'm a terrible mother. Just holding it makes me want to throw it and run away."

"It's okay." David rubbed her back through the coat. "You don't have to love him. I'll love him enough for both of us."

"Thanks." Ellie rested her head on his chest.

The baby fussed again. David sang to him again, but it didn't seem to help.

Ellie sighed in annoyance. "God, would you please shut up?" she asked, sounding more tired than angry.

The baby stopped, looking up at her as if in surprise.

"Holy shit, I can't believe that worked," Ellie said.

"He knows your voice," David said. "There's one person in the entire world he knows will take care of him and keep him safe, and that's you. As far as he knows, you love him so much you'd die for him. You're his hero, his mommy."

David's words seemed to make Ellie feel as guilty as he'd intended. She took a deep breath.

"Will you help me feed him?" she asked. "Just so he doesn't start crying again."

"Of course, Ellie." David helped her lift the child. "You know I'd do anything for you and the baby."

Nursing was actually much more complicated than David had anticipated, but the three of them eventually figured it out. As the baby suckled Ellie's breast, David rubbed her neck and whispered encouragement into her ear.

"You mean so much to me," he murmured. "You're the most important person in my entire life. And now we've made this beautiful little life together. I'm so glad I was here with you. If I'd been out with James today, and you'd have given birth all alone, I could never forgive myself. I'm glad I got to help bring him into the world."

"I'm glad you were there, too," Ellie said. "You probably saved my life."

He kissed her on the lips, and she kissed him back without hesitation.

"I love you, Ellie," he said.

"I love you too," she said. "Hey, you promise to take care of us, right? I can't exactly run from clickers with a crying baby."

David hid a smile. "I promise."

Ellie rested against his shoulder again, and he wrapped both his arms around her and the happy, noisily-feeding baby.


End file.
